Out alive
by Elsewhere723
Summary: All they wanted was to make it out alive. After the destruction of Sunnydale, how our resident heroes faring in London? Dawn has a boyfriend, Xander is jealous, Buffy is just trying to make it through the day, and Spike finally lets Buffy know he is alive.


"For the last time Dawn, no." Buffy sighed as she checked weapons inventory. Vampires she could handle. Teenage girls who were slayers she could handle. Her little sister going on an unsupervised date she could not.

"Please," Dawn begged. "I have been a good little sister since we got here. The least you can do is let me go out on a date." Buffy hated to admit it, but she was right. Dawn had been the perfect, obeying little sister since they had been in London. Buffy thought for a minute then came up with a perfect solution. One that would test how serious she was about going on her date.

"Okay, on one condition." Buffy said with a groan from Dawn. "Xander goes with." Buffy grinned at the brilliance of her plan.

"I'm pretty sure other 17 year olds don't have chaperones on their dates." Dawn lowered her voice when she saw the other slayers noticing their heated conversation.

"Well you're not any other teenager." Buffy gently reminded her sister. "Listen, it's either Xander or me, and I won't be so subtle." Buffy tried to let her know her other options.

"Fine tell him to be ready by 7 and if he even thinks about talking to my date then I will stake him where he stands." Dawn said in the most serious voice she could muster.

"That's sounds completely reasonable." Buffy smiled.

"At least one of us thinks so." Dawn snapped. It wasn't the outcome she wanted, but she would take it.

Buffy sighed as she watched Dawn stomp towards her room. Buffy couldn't bring herself to regret taking such drastic measures. She would rather have her sister hate her than put her in danger.

A year later and everything was different. Kennedy and Willow found their own piece of happiness at Slayer Central. As much as Dawn resented her for playing the overprotective sister Buffy had seen a positive change in Dawn since they left Sunnydale. Xander grieved for Anya, but eventually found a way to move past her death. Even Giles was less uptight with all the new slayers being brought it.

Then there was Buffy. She was fine, at least that's what she told anyone who asked. The truth was even worse. Buffy lost count of how many times she woke up in a sweat because of nightmares involving Angel, Sunnydale, and weirdly enough, Spike. Buffy never thought she would lose sleep over Spike's untimely demise, but she did.

In the last few seconds before Spike died Buffy tried to express what she felt. Except that Spike didn't believe that she had truly loved him. Buffy knew it was her fault. She jerked him around do many times that she couldn't blame him for not believing her.

So, a year later and she was still slaying vampires. She was still fighting the 'Big bads'. She still had a broken heart. She still felt like she was dying with each breath she took. But she moved on. She had to. Dawn was counting on her. Her friends were counting on her. The slayers were counting on her. Buffy couldn't let herself give up because she knew she was the glue holding everyone together. She grieved for Spike, she moved on.

Buffy went on her way to have a much needed conversation with Xander. From what Xander told her of the boy Dawnie was interested in, Buffy couldn't decide if he was biased or was telling the truth. Maybe a little bit of both. She found him in his room at Slayer Central researching some demon they were on the tail of. Xander spotted her as she walked him.

"You know Buffy, I think with a small group-" Xander stopped when he saw the look on Buffy's face. It was one that she used when she was about to beg. "You didn't come to talk about the demon did you?" Xander asked even though he knew the answer.

"I need a favor." Buffy grinned.

"Of course you do." Xander smirked and put the book he was reading back on the shelf. "What can I do for you this time?"

"I need you to supervise Dawn's date." Buffy said so fast Xander wasn't sure he heard her right. There were other things he would much rather be doing instead of watching some guy put his hands all over Dawn, like watching paint dry, for example.

"Think of it this way, with you watching her every move she wouldn't do anything I wouldn't." Buffy tried to persuade the young man. Buffy also knew he would never miss the chance to spy on Dawn.

"Fine, but if he so much as puts his hands on her in any I way I deem inapprpiate then I will not be responsible for my actions.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Buffy kissed his cheek and went to go patrol the streets of London.

"What have I got myself into?" Xander asked himself.


End file.
